traveling to wales in september

The train to Cardiff from London leaves from paddington station and takes a little over 2 hours. I have done it fairly frequently- it is a pleasant journey. Seems to run every half hour Paddington is also the station for the Heathrow Connect and Heathrow express, so very convenient if you arrive at Heathrow Seems a very easy way to do it. As I recall the train also goes further into South Wales if you want to skip Cardiff

Have you considered flying into Cardiff?

is the cardiff airport an international airport? didn't think we could do that. would certainly change things. Thanks

It's international, but all that designation means is that it has customs, agricultural, and immigration facilities. It doesn't mean planes from everywhere flock in. I think it only has five gates or so. Aer Lingus and KLM are the only major carriers I've noticed in there. I've no reason to believe they come in from a transoceanic route.

Cardiff has full size runways, but only intra-European flights. Since it has KLM flights to Amsterdam, you can connect to destinations all over the world, but the cost may be high and the journey times extended. Go to http://www.tbicardiffairport.com/ for more information. I see that Vueling have just started flying from Cardiff to Barcelona.

If you want to see north Wales, you might consider Manchester as the gateway. British Airways has a nonstop from Chicago, others (United, Delta, etc.) have one-stops. There are good train connections, including through Chester, with its medieval walls and cathedral, worth an overnight if you have time. If you just want to see south Wales, Heathrow would be a lot more convenient than Dublin-Holyhead and I'd think cheaper too.

I don't know which is option is currently the cheapest, but I do know that the ferry from Ireland is a pretty cool experience!

Thank you for all the replies. you have certainly given me some wonderful alternatives to consider!